North Dakota state and companies pitch in for study

March 20, 2012 7:53 am

The Associated Press reported Monday that a new study will soon be underway to evaluate electricity demand growth, transmission and pipeline needs in North Dakota and the western region. Concerns from the oil industry focus on the state’s electric grid being able to handle the rapidly expanding industry, where oil production has almost quintupled in the past five years, according to the article. The utilities’ concern focus on the aging transmission grid and an increasing population in the oil patch.

The North Dakota Industrial Commission voted Monday to contribute $100,000 to the study, with Montana-Dakota Utilities and Basin Electric Power Cooperative providing most of the remainder of the $284,000 bill, according to the ND Transmission Authority. The study should be completed by September.

The article also discusses a separate vote from the Industrial Commission to spend $120,000 to study the future of the North Dakota’s natural gas production and if any changes are needed to the current network of pipelines. This study should be finished by mid-July.